Noga Tarnopolsky

December 27, 2021·4 min read

In this article:

https://news.yahoo.com/massive-bird-flu-outbreak-could-153426477.html

• Coronavirus

Israel’s National Security Council has assumed control of a massivebird fluoutbreak in the Galilee, which scientists warn could become a “mass disaster” for humans.

Over half a billion migrating birds pass through the area every year, heading for warm African winters or balmy European summers, making this a catastrophic location for a majorbird fluoutbreak—right at the nexus of global avian travel.

The virus can be deadly if it infects people.The World Health Organization saysmore than half of the confirmed 863 human cases it has tracked since 2003 proved fatal. Most strains or variants of avian flu, H5N1, are relatively difficult to transmit to people.

Yossi Leshem, one of Israel’s most renowned ornithologists, told The Daily Beast, however, that it is the ability of these viruses to mutate into new strains that…